This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

061159Z Jan 05

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FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0711
INFO AMEMBASSY BAMAKO 
AMEMBASSY DAKAR 
AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 
AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 
AMEMBASSY PARIS 
AMEMBASSY ROME 
USMISSION GENEVA 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
USCINCEUR VAIHINGEN GE

UNCLAS  NDJAMENA 000020 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
USAID/W FOR RMT AND DCHA/OFDA 
STATE FOR AF/C, AF/EPS AND PRM 
DAKAR AND NAIROBI FOR USAID/RFFPO 
ROME FOR FODAG 
GENEVA FOR RMA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF CD SU
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S FY 2005 DISASTER DECLARATION: IMPACT 
OF SUDAN REFUGEES IN EASTERN CHAD 
 
REF: A. A) 04 STATE 207288 
 
     ¶B. B) 04 NDJAMENA 0957 
 
¶1. This is an action cable.  Please see para 8. 
 
¶2. Disaster Determination.  Under Section 062, Volume 2 of 
the Foreign Affairs Manual, I hereby determine that the 
Republic of Chad is suffering from a disaster which exceeds 
the host country's ability to provide an adequate response, 
that the host country has specifically requested donor 
support and has demonstrated its willingness to accept USG 
assistance, and that it is in the interest of the USG to 
respond. 
 
¶3. Background.  Since April 2003, more than 200,000 Sudanese 
from the western Darfur region have fled their villages and 
sought refuge in eastern Chad.  A massive assistance program 
coordinated by the UNHCR has been organized, resulting in the 
successful relocation of refugees to ten refugee camps 
established at least 50 km from the border, and one transit 
camp.  The U.S. is the lead donor in a multidonor effort, 
having provided a total of $75.6 million during FY 2004-05. 
Camp conditions are not yet uniformly meeting international 
minimum standards for caloric intake, potable water, 
immunization and number of children per teacher, but the 
situation has steadily improved.  Following a five-month 
blanket supplementary feeding program for children under five 
and pregnant/lactating mothers, global malnutrition rates 
dropped from 35.6 percent (CDC) in June to 17.4% 
(MSF/Holland) at the end of December. The availability of 
water has been a major obstacle to the sustainability of camp 
operations and continues to pose serious problems which may 
result in relocation of some refugees to new camps further 
inland where water availability is less problematic. 
 
¶4.  Despite recognition on the part of the host country, 
donors and the NGO community as early as December 2003 that 
the impact of successive waves of refugees from the Darfur 
would be deleterious to Chad's rural populations in the 
border area, little has been done to offset the negative 
effects resulting from increased demand placed on a fragile 
environment and on a resilient, but resource-strapped 
population. The Embassy therefore issued a disaster 
declaration in June 2004 (Ref B) which focused on water 
shortages faced by the local population, with the objective 
of increasing both the quantity and the quality of potable 
water.  The cabled funding request for installation of thirty 
wells was put on hold pending a formal assessment of the 
water/sanitation situation by an OFDA consultant; the cabled 
funding request to improve water quality by providing water 
purification kits and hand soap through UNICEF was approved. 
Despite completion of the water/san assessment in August, 
funding for the wells was not forthcoming; conversely, for 
the sanitation component, UNICEF completed procurement of the 
water purification kits/hand soap and supervised their 
distribution to the local population through NGO camp 
managers.  Meanwhile, the U.N. system has become increasingly 
attuned to the need for assisting host country populations 
and has developed and included 63 project summaries which 
have been incorporated into its 2005 Consolidated Appeal to 
the donor community.  In addition, the World Food Program 
conducted November 17-26, 2004 a rapid food needs assessment 
of host populations in the east, resulting in a series of 
recommendations to include targeted free distribution to the 
most vulnerable groups, school feeding, a program to assist 
with seed distribution, and a set of Food for Work activities 
all focusing on the local population. 
 
¶5.  Objectives: 
 
a) The current disaster declaration is to draw attention to 
the dramatic situation faced by Chad's rural populations in 
the refugee-affected border region and to initiate an 
immediate relief program which will be implemented in the 
form of Food for Work activities in collaboration with the 
non-governmental organization, ACTED, and with the World Food 
Program (WFP) which will provide the food rations.  The 
Ambassador's disaster authority of $50,000 will be used to 
 
 
provide ancillary inputs to Food for Work activities 
undertken by the local population, with supervision from 
ACTED, in the Bahai region where the Oure Cassonitransit 
camp has been located.  Funding not to ecee $50,000 will be 
granted to ACTED by the Embssy for the procurement of tools, 
supplies and lmited technical assistance required to 
implement  set of Food for Work activiies recommended by 
WFP.  Typical projects would include environmental protection 
(creation of tree nurseries and outplanting), construction of 
water retention infrastructure (check dams and ponds), rural 
road and airstrip repair, and well digging.  An ACTED 
technician is currently in the east attempting to define in 
more detail the FFW activities (locales, numbers of 
participants, costs).  The grant agreement will include a 
site listing of the activities to be undertaken and a line 
item budget. 
 
b) It is envisaged that additional relief activities will be 
submitted by the NGO community directly to OFDA also 
benefiting the local population.  This will be separate from 
the Ambassador's disaster authority of $50,000. 
 
¶6. Target Population.  There are an estimated 722,247 
Chadians living in the six departments where Sudanese 
refugees have been relocated: 
 
Department     Chadian      Region      Sudanese camps 
               Population 
 
Ennedi est         28,247   B.E.T       Oure Cassoni 
Kobe               44,681   Wadi Fira   Iridimi/Touloum/Am 
Nabak 
Dar Tama           73,625   Wadi Fira   Kounoungo/Mile 
Ouaddai           233,931   Ouaddai 
Assongha          160,007   Ouaddai 
Farchana/Bredjing/Treguine 
Sila              181,756   Ouaddai     Goz Amer/Djabal 
 
Total             722,247 
 
The proposed free distribution recommended by WFP for the 
local population in these departments will target 117,200 
persons.  In addition, an estimated 32,000 Chadian children 
will be fed in the school feeding program. The FFW planning 
document included in the rapid food needs assessment projects 
3,600 participating households (approx. 18,000 persons).  WFP 
anticipates collaboration on FFW activities with several 
NGOs, including ACTED for the northern Ennedi Est (Bahai) 
department. 
 
¶7.  GOC Request for Assistance.  An appeal for disaster 
assistance following a massive refugee influx from Darfur was 
first transmitted by the Government of Chad to the diplomatic 
corps February 6, 2004.  In the appeal, reference is made to 
the negative effect of refugees on the local population. 
Since then, there have been numerous demarches made on behalf 
of the GOC to the Embassy and other donors for the provision 
of relief for local populations.  Chad's President declared 
to a visiting CODEL December 10 that the economic and 
environmental toll being taken as a result of the refugee 
crisis was "catastrophic," urging that action be taken to 
redress current imbalances. Similar messages have been 
conveyed by Chadian authorities to Embassy personnel on a 
regular basis for more than a year.  When the PRM/DAS visited 
the border area in January 2004, local authorities were 
already drawing attention to the negative impact of refugees 
and the need to provide assistance to host populations. The 
drafting of a U.N. Consolidated Appeal for FY 2005 is in 
recognition of this. 
 
¶8. Action requested.  Embassy requests a fund cite for 
$50,000 which will be granted to ACTED for the organization 
and supervision of FFW activities implemented by the Chadian 
population in refugee-impacted zones.  Upon receipt of the 
fund cite, Embassy will draft and sign the grant instrument, 
after which the obligating document will be sent to 
USAID/OFDA for recording. 
 
 
¶9. Please advise. 
CASEBEER 
 
 
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